Ten seasons. So much has happened in those ten seasons, and few things are constant. I look over at my son and realize that I have been doing this thread since he was small enough for me to hold up with one hand. Amazing.
Traditions must endure, however, so without further ado, it’s time to get down to business.
This year I think I will do something a little different. I have been accused of talking trash and offering no real content in the past, so I’ll restrain myself this time. Yes, I will give an optimistic yet clear-eyed assessment of the Steelers’ chances. I think they’re still very good, as do most professional pundits who have them placed within their top-10 lists. Let’s start with the defense.
Defense: as Troy Polamalu goes, so does the defense. History has shown that the Steelers’ defense is very different when Polamalu is hurt. Also, the corners, Goddamn Ike Taylor in particular, are prone to getting torched. None of this is anything new. Yet the defense is consistently strong and they consistently finish the season with high ratings. Can they do so again this year? I think so. Ziggy Hood will finally get his chance to pay off on his draft potential, Larry Foote should step in nicely, and the young substitutes look promising, including Cameron Heyward. The corners? Well, someone is going to have to step up or it’s going to be a long season. Fortunately, I anticipate the heavy pressure getting to the quarterback and largely negating that particular uncertainty (as happens every year).
Offense: Hey, they finally drafted offensive line help this year! I’m excited! Wait, what’s that? DeCastro’s already out for half a year and Adams isn’t looking too hot? Crap, it’s the same old Steelers on the offensive line. Can Pouncey play a whole year without getting injured? Can anybody keep Ben form getting killed? A lot of uncertainty remains.
One thing that is certain, however, is that Ben Roethlisberger cannot take the kind of abuse he’s been taking for his entire career and fight through it. He’s getting old, and nobody can take that kind of punishment forever. As he goes, so goes the offense. The receiving corps, including the disgruntled Mike Wallace, is amazing. So, who comes in but Todd Haley, who says he wants to re-establish the running game, only there’s nobody proven to run the ball. Yeesh.
The good news is that Isaac “Redzone” Redman and his backups looked good in preseason. In fact, the whole first team looked good in preseason. Is that a sign of things to come, or is it just that it was preseason? I’m thinking the former, but you know how it is sometimes, the team looks great in preseason and then lays an egg when it counts.
Special Teams: Always an adventure with the Steelers, this year promises to be little different. They have a rookie punter and a castaway kicker (who admittedly did fine last season), and God only knows if this year’s crew can actually contain a return. Every kick will have me holding my breath.
So, does all of the above mean that I am down on my beloved Steelers? Quite the contrary, I’m excited to see how it turns out. It’s a very different team from the one last year. No more Hines Ward for one, which must thrill the other AFC North teams who couldn’t do anything with him for years. Alas for them, the new receivers are better. No, I’m thinking that the Steelers are going to win the division. Why? Because I always do, that’s why. Hope springs eternal. But there are other reasons. Let’s start with the Ratbirds and go down.
Baltimore lost T-Sizzle because he thought he could ball so hard at every sport and tore his Achilles tendon. Even if he comes back he won’t be anywhere near ready to play this year. That’s a crushing blow for them, because he was the guy. Ray Lewis? I’ve been talking about him losing a step for years, and this year will be just another step down, hardly the guy to replace Suggs’ production. Ed Reed also lost a step but is contract hunting so he might play over his head. I doubt it, age catches up with everyone sooner or later, but you never know.
On offense, Ray Rice is a beast. I admit it. But can he overcome the erratic performance of Joe Flacco? How about the penalty magnet that is Michael Oher? They were a play away from the Super Bowl last year. That’s not likely to happen again, not in the NFL, not in the AFC North where sweeping the Steelers is an exceptionally rare occurrence.
Cincinnati: The Bengals played well last year, but there’s a reason they haven’t had two consecutive winning seasons in three decades. Management and coaching is what it all comes down to. Dalton and Green have to prove that they are for real after last year’s performance, the defense has to prove that they can hold up for a full schedule, and Marvin Lewis has to get it done now that he has “the tools”. Anybody else have doubts? Yeah, me too.
Cleveland: Another year in the Factory of Sadness. What else is there to say, seriously? They were bad last year, they’ll be bad this year, and maybe the new owner can do something so they might actually be competitive sometime soon, because they’re dog meat for the foreseeable future. I want them to be good, I really do. I want a reason to hate them instead of simply pitying them.
So, my division prediction (since this usually also acts as the AFC North thread):
Pittsburgh 16-0
Baltimore: 10-6
Cincinnati: 7-9
Cleveland: 4-12
OK, seriously, I think Pittsburgh wins at least 12 games. They have the benefit of a second-place schedule, whereas the Ravens get to play Green Bay, among others. Suggs’ loss is really going to hurt them.
As for the rest of the league, well, I’ll get to them when it matters. Right now I’m sticking to the division simply because I don’t want to turn this post into an hour-long epic. You can be certain that this is not my final word this year on football.
In conclusion, the Steelers have as good a team as they have had over the last 6 years, and as such stand a really good chance of making it to and winning the Super Bowl, starting with their victory over the Donkeys on Sunday. In fact, I think they’re going to take it all, simply because I always do. They will win the division, plow through the rest of the teams in the playoffs, and beat the 49ers by 10 points in the Super Bowl, thus adding their 7th Lombardi Trophy to their collection, cementing Ben Roethlisberger’s reputation as a Hall of Fame quarterback, and causing thousands upon thousands of gallons of tears to be shed by Steelers haters.
You knew I couldn’t make it through this whole thing with talking at least a little trash, didn’t you? So here you go. The floor is open. Bring it.
Far less embarrassing than losing to Tebow. Denver looks good, I hope we see them next in the playoffs.